"What saves a man is to take a step.
Then another step." ~ C. S. Lewis

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Why So Angry?

A reader e-mails:

Reading your blog, my impression is that you're coming from a similar place to me -- not particularly in love with either candidate, and intrigued by Palin because she seems like an interesting person. I'm a bit shocked at the vehemence with which Obama supporters are attacking her, and the frequent sense of desperation in their attacks. It makes me wonder if she wasn't the perfect choice for McCain.

I guess I fall in with the people Tyler suspects exists, cause everything he lists there sounds like a valid form of experience to me. I'd add being the wife (and sometime employee of) a small businessman, too. It all gives her a perspective none of the other candidates can bring to bear.

And telling me repeatedly how small the town she was mayor of is? That's the size of the town I grew up in. Mocking how small it is isn't going to win any points with me.

I dunno. I still think I will vote for Obama, but his followers aren't doing anything to endear me to his cause...

Indeed.

I don't understand why people feel free to drop civility when it comes to discussing political issues or political figures? It doesn't make them or the candidates they support look good.

3 comments:

Politics naturally brings out the emotions in people because at its root it concerns issues of vital importance to people.

That is true no matter which "side" one is on.

As for viciousness of attacks, I don't think anything can top the way that Obama has been subjected to all types of smear campaigns alleging everything from him being a Muslim Manchurian candidate to him hating America.

Let's not even talk about conservative talk radio, where people like Rush Limbaugh engage in carpet bombing for hours each day. Even some pastors have started to calling these shows "hate radio."

Then let's look at the Republican convention itself. The message "Country First" is designed to imply that the other side doesn't love the country. The message so far is that the other side is unpatriotic. That's rather chilling.

So sure both sides are guilty of vitriol and anger.

With the Palin pick there seems to a lot of piling on only because she is new to the scene. Had McCain chosen someone like Romney, for instance, you would have heard criticism, but the same criticism used against him before. There would not have been this rush to examine the candidate.

I will say that through it all there is one candidate that has managed to project a very calm steady demeanor and that is Obama. Of course some of his supporters will get more emotional but that's going to be true no matter which candidate.

But if you want an example of someone acting classy in politics and trying to set a more civil tone, that's Obama.

Politics is essentially a conflict over who will control the state monopoly on violence. In the US we have historically resolved this conflict via peaceful means: debate, discussion, and voting. As each of these three become less influential (as a consequence of the growth of the state?) the process of conflict resolution approaches violence.